Pharmacists have difficulty obtaining veterinary medicines

Nicole Lavoie loves goldens. His dogs are his whole life.

They are a bit like my childrenshe explains. They are always happy to see us, they keep us busy. They are clowns, they make us laugh.

Aragon, his faithful friend for over 12 years, suffers from arthritis and hip dysplasia. Every day, his owner administers a dose of Galliprant, an anti-inflammatory designed specifically for dogs.

She buys Aragon’s medication at the pharmacy, because she knows it is cheaper there: $143.10 per month.

I don’t like having to pay more when you can pay less. I feel like I’m being exploited.

But last April, nothing was going well: the medicine for Aragon was no longer available at his pharmacy.

The pharmacist told me: “Damn, we can’t have access to it anymore”she says. I said, “Well, let’s see. It doesn’t look good.”

Her pharmacist confirms to us that she was no longer able to order the product, but refuses to grant an interview to The facturefor fear of reprisals.

The battle of an Ontario pharmacist

Wendy Chui, pharmacist in Ontario and owner of the online pharmacy Pets Drug Martexperienced the same supply difficulties. She has been fighting for years for pharmacists to have access to all medicines for veterinary use.

My pharmacy could not obtain medications for animals because pharmaceutical companies had agreements with distributors.

In 2023, it therefore filed a complaint to this effect with the Competition Bureau of Canada.

It’s unfairshe says. I felt like there was no fair and equal competition. Access to medicines was blocked. I fought for my business, but also for all animals.

In total, the Competition Bureau received around forty complaints on this subject. In a report (New window) published last October, the organization agreed with Wendy Chui.

We see that there is a lack of competition. We see that there is a player in the market who could compete and who could provide another choice to Canadians, [et] who cannot participate in the market. This is what we observed in our analysis.

The most surprising thing is that the report cites Quebec as an example, because pharmacists in the province have access to drugs for veterinary use, drugs designed specifically for animals. Any pharmacist can create an account with the only authorized distributor in the province, the Veterinary Medication Distribution Center (CDMV).

But in Quebec too, there are pitfalls, as demonstrated by the story of Nicole Lavoie and her dog Aragon.

Difficult to find pharmacists who agree to speak openly about supply difficulties, noted The facture. One of them finally agreed to testify, but under the cover of confidentiality, because he too fears reprisals.

The problems started in 2020: we realized that, all of a sudden, without any warning, without any notice, we could no longer order products from two companies, Merck and Elanco. They are still two big companies. They have a lot of products. And overnight, we could no longer obtain supplies at all from these two companies.

Our source maintains that CDMV explained to him, on the telephone, that there are exclusivity agreements, that the products of these two companies are sold to veterinarians only.

In January 2021, Élanco and Merck products became available again. But at the same time, it is impossible to order those from the Boehringer Ingelheim company.

We made a complaint directly to the manufacturer, to Boehringer. We asked them why their products were no longer available to us. The company wrote to us that it was their decision. CDMV simply did not respond.

Since then, pharmacists have filed complaints with the distributor CDMV each time products become unavailable to them.

CDMV declined the interview request from The facturebut offered an email response.

In the past, some manufacturers limited access to certain veterinary drugs to pharmacists. However, since the beginning of 2024, these restrictions have been completely liftedwrites the company.

However, four pharmacists ensure The facture that between March and April 2024, they could no longer order Elanco’s products, including the drug for Aragon.

A strategy to discourage pharmacists?

CDMV is not a private company. The distributor is a subsidiary of Investissement Québec, a state-owned company.

If CDMV was a private company, I would have said, it’s part of the gameexplains a pharmacist. On the other hand, CDMV is not a private company […] A public company has a duty towards the citizens of Quebec, a duty of transparency, a duty not to contribute to reducing access to this or that product.

Our source believes that CDMV played a role in the supply problems pharmacists are experiencing.

It couldn’t just be a coincidence. By blocking and unblocking companies like that, without warning, it ultimately discourages pharmacists from selling veterinary drugs. There are constant pitfalls.

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The consequences are unfortunate for pharmacists.

If we can no longer provide medication X, we must call the animal’s owner. We must explain to him that we can no longer provide the medication, we must refer him to another professional. We had to do that for the hundred customers we had. Call them all, manage their frustration, their incomprehension. This caused quite a stir among us, and among the client too. It broke the bond of trust.

Merck denies having exclusivity agreements.

At Merck Animal Health, we do not limit the distribution of our products […]we do not include terms in our distribution agreements that would limit sales to pharmacies or any other entity. […] We will sell to distributors, veterinarians or pharmacies capable of complying with our regulatory and commercial conditions.

Elanco’s response goes in the same direction, although the company does not deny having exclusivity agreements.

Elanco will sell its prescription pet health products through its approved distribution channels to pharmacists with experience in veterinary products, on a case-by-case basis, complying with Elanco’s protocols. […]writes the company in an email to La facture.

Boehringer Ingelheim, for its part, responds that its agreements with drug distributors — including CDMV — contain no restrictions on the resale of veterinary drugs to veterinarians only […] Any suggestion to the contrary is false and would mislead the public.

However, in an email intended for a pharmacist in 2021 and including The facture obtained a copy, this same company wrote exactly the opposite.

Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Inc. sells only to licensed veterinarians in Canada.

Should the provinces intervene?

In its October 2024 report, the Competition Bureau of Canada invites the provinces to intervene and make pharmacists’ access to the supply of medications for pets mandatory.

We want to ensure that […] the owner of an animal who has a relationship with his pharmacist or veterinarian can have access to medication at the best price. The idea here is not to replace the veterinarian, but rather to have a complementary player. The pharmacist […] can compete and lower the price of medicines. So, we want competition to take effect and play its role.

Wendy Chui hopes the Competition Bureau’s report will change things.

I think a lot of low-income people can’t afford a pet because it’s very expensive.says the Ontario pharmacist.

Nicole Lavoie lost her dog Aragon in recent months. He was very old and very sick, but she looked after him until the end. She has since adopted another golden.

I would like things to remain affordableshe said. I would like people to take care of their animals until the end of their lives.

Text written in collaboration with Martin Jolicoeur and The Fifth Estate